President Biden is still isolating while battling COVID, and while calls continue to grow louder for him to put aside his re-election bid, one key New York ally is standing by him. NBC New York’s Myles Miller reports.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he continues to support President Joe Biden's candidacy and believes the incumbent remains able to beat former President Donald Trump in November's general election.
"I've answered that question repeatedly over the last three weeks," Jeffries said Friday at an event on street safety improvements at Brooklyn schools. "I've answered that question repeatedly, my answer has not changed."
Jeffries said he did have a recent meeting with Biden to discuss the campaign's future, but has not spoken publicly about the details of the conversation. On Friday, Jeffries, declined to share what he said to the president and said he is keeping the discussion private.
"President Biden, as I've said repeatedly, is our nominee," Jeffries said. "He has a tremendous track record of success. He is one of the most accomplished American presidents in our history and he has the vision, I believe the ability, the capacity, and the track record to make a case to the American people that will result in us being successful in November."
Citing a Democratic congressional source, NBC News previously reported Jeffries said he would share the views of his caucus with Biden, including those of members who think he should step aside.
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The Democratic leader said it was too hypothetical to say who he would support if Biden did in fact withdraw from the race.
Politics
"We have the [Biden-Harris] ticket right now and we're going to support because the stakes are too high at this moment," Jeffries said. "What unifies us is the urgent need to vacate the extreme MAGA Republican majority in November and continue to do the business of hardworking American families."
Jeffries said he did not speak with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) about the "rationale" behind his decision to call on the president to step aside.
On Wednesday, Schiff released a statement Wednesday saying, "I believe it is time for him to pass the torch," citing concerns about his ability to beat Trump in the election.
Jeffries said is confident the Democratic party will also take back the majority in the U.S. House.
The president and his campaign have continued to stress he plans to remain on the top of the ticket.
“Our campaign is not working through any scenarios where President Biden is not the top of the ticket. He is and will be the Democratic nominee," Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign, said at a news conference in Milwaukee.
